Los Angeles Times - 13.03.2020

E12 FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2020 LATIMES.COM/CALENDAR

ACROSS

1 2019 Pan American

Games city

5 Present to an audience

10 Nat’s hat

13 Norse deity

14 Syndicated show, say

15 Smooth-talking

17 “It’s been a while since I

shopped till I dropped”?

20 Revise

21 Bud

22 Annually

23 __ Cruces

25 Convent figure

27 Pastoral exhortation to

a graffiti artist?

32 Belgian __

33 Special ops acronym

34 Some bank jobs

38 Lack

40 Set down

42 Bender

43 Meddles

45 Pack (down)

47 Mauna __

48 Bargain hunter’s forte?

51 Moby-Dick, e.g.

53 Vote in favor

54 Many Oscar night

attendees

55 Sun, for one

58 Social division

62 Trojan king struck

dumb?

65 Sources of cones

66 Dabbling ducks

67 Cable car

68 Fabled beast

69 Ad guy responsible

for four long puzzle

answers?

70 Roll call call

DOWN

1 Kinks title woman with

“a dark brown voice”

2 Word after fallen or false

3 Like new

4 Actress Kinsey of “The

Office”

5 Asian honorific

6 Census worker, for one

7 Location

8 Legislation that varies

from state to state

9 Eclectic musician Brian

10 Prepare for print

11 Buenos __

12 Earnest requests

16 “__ Blues”: Beatles

“White Album” song

18 Cafeteria stack

19 Buffalo skater

24 Intervenes

26 Prague’s region

27 Maxims

28 It often undergoes

changes

29 First female attorney

general

30 Burt’s musical

collaborator

31 Send

35 Arias, usually

36 Animation product

37 Unattached

39 Joint Chiefs, for

example

41 Joltin’ joe?

44 Refracting polyhedron

46 Intimidate mentally,

with “out”

49 “The Last of the

Mohicans” author

50 Toast word

51 Heart chambers

52 Hideouts

54 Banana Boat letters

56 Copy room unit

57 One sometimes seen

with Boris

59 Withered

60 Romanov title

61 Salinger character who

says, “I prefer stories

about squalor”

63 “The Racer’s Edge”

64 Gp. that sometimes has

an added “Y”

ANSWER TO

PREVIOUS PUZZLE

3/13/20

3/13/20

SUDOKU

BLISS By Harry Bliss

KENKEN

Every box will contain a number; numbers depend on the size of the grid. For a 6x6

puzzle, use Nos. 1-6. Do not repeat a number in any row or column. The numbers in each

heavily outlined set of squares must combine to produce the target number found in the

top left corner of the cage using the mathematical operation indicated. A number can be

repeated within a cage as long as it is not in the same row or column.

FAMILY CIRCUS By Bil Keane DENNIS THE MENACE By Hank Ketcham

ARGYLE SWEATER By Scott Hilburn MARMADUKE By Brad & Paul Anderson

CROSSWORD

By Winston Emmons © 2020 Tribune Content Agency

Edited By Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

SPEED BUMP By Dave Coverly

COMICS

Aries(March 21-April 19):
A strange communication is
happening between your
mind and your heart, and it
has the effect of placing the
one you love at the center of
all of your activities.
Taurus (April 20-May
20): As for the one standing
on a mountain of achieve-
ment, when do they find the
time? Time isn’t found; it’s
used. You’ll use it well today.
Gemini(May 21-June 21):
Fear can be a habit, a per-
sonality, a passion. Fear can
be a friend. You diffuse your
fear by inviting it in for a con-
genial and short visit.
Cancer(June 22-July 22):
You hate confrontation so
much that sometimes you
give generously or even fool-
ishly just to avoid a bit of un-
pleasantness. Today, it will
be better to take things on
and get them over with.
Leo(July 23-Aug. 22): De-
feat isn’t the end. It’s a

chance to regroup, change

the plan, give it another go.

Virgo(Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

Knowledge is obtained

through study. But the only

way to become wise is

through experience.

Libra(Sept. 23-Oct. 23):

The interesting ideas will

come and go, giving little

sparks to your day. It’s the

great ideas that will stick

around, lighting a fire in you.

Scorpio(Oct. 24-Nov. 21):

There’s a time to doubt your-

self and a time to go full-on

forward. Don’t let them

overlap. Once you decide,

step with confidence.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-

Dec. 21): Ordinary thinking

does not recognize extraor-

dinary qualities. You have

the higher intelligence to ap-

preciate originality and to

discern wonderful nuances.

Capricorn(Dec. 22-Jan.

19): Let things come and go

without worrying too much

about what’s really yours.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb.

18): Follow the time trav-

eler’s rules today. Any action

that changes the course of

any person, including you,

will alter the timeline and

thereby matter significantly.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March

20): Today offers a prime

combination of calm stabil-

ity and exciting chaos, partly

due to the characters who

populate your life, all spec-

tacular in their own way.

Today’s birthday

(March 13): Key into your

own life and times as though

you were a journalist writing

a story about it. There’s

something in “witnessing”

your own life from that point

of view that will liberate you

to make this year an adven-

ture slightly beyond what

you were used to. Young peo-

ple emulate you, and older

people need you. Libra and

Scorpio adore you. Your

lucky numbers: 4, 22, 48, 10, 5.

Mathis writes her column

for Creators Syndicate Inc.

The horoscope should be

read for entertainment.

HOROSCOPE

By Holiday Mathis

When I watched today’s

deal at my club, North was

the dreaded Grapefruit. He

owns and operates a sour

disposition.

After North-South

halted at two spades, South

ruffed the second club and

led the ace and a low trump.

West threw a heart, and East

took his jack and king and

forced South to ruff a third

club. Declarer next let the

nine of diamonds ride. East

won and led his last club,

forcing out South’s last

trump, and when West took

the ace of diamonds, he

cashed a club. Down one.

“Sorry, partner,” Grape-

fruit snarled. “I should have

tabled a better dummy. If

gas were brains, you couldn’t

drive two laps around a

Cheerio.”

“Every card was wrong,”

South growled.

Grapefruit told the kib-

itzers that South would ask

for a price check at a dollar

store.

South can afford two

trump losers, two diamonds

and a club. He can’t afford to

lose trump control. After he

takes the ace of trumps, he

must start the diamonds.

The contract is safe.

Question: You hold: ♠A 7

5 4 3 2 ♥A K ♦J 9 8 4 ♣5. Your

partner opens one heart,

you respond one spade and

he raises to three spades.

The opponents pass. What

do you say?

Answer: An average

jump-raise for your partner

such as K J 8 6, Q J 10 7 6, A, A

7 6 will make a grand slam all

but a laydown. To use Black-

wood might not tell you what

you need to know. Cue-bid

four hearts. Partner should

treat that bid as a try for

slam, not as natural and dis-

couraging.

South dealer

Both sides vulnerable

NORTH

♠Q 10 8

♥J 6 3

♦K 10 6 2

♣K 6 2

WEST EAST

♠ 6 ♠K J 9

♥9 8 7 4 ♥Q 10 5 2

♦A 7 3 ♦Q 5

♣Q J 10 9 4 ♣A 8 7 3

SOUTH

♠A 7 5 4 3 2

♥A K

♦J 9 8 4

♣ 5

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1 ♠ Pass 2 ♠ All Pass

Opening lead — ♣Q

Tribune Media Services

BRIDGE

By Frank Stewart

Dear Readers:I’ve gath-

ered some topical “Best of ”

columns from 10 years ago.

Dear Amy:I am a widower

with five children. We live in a

large home in a private,

gated community.

I allowed my wife’s sister

and her family to move in

with us when she and her

husband lost their jobs and

their home was foreclosed.

They have three older chil-

dren. I am truly blessed that

both our families get along

well, and that my children

have a mother figure in my

sister-in-law. But I am con-

cerned for my youngest,

“Stevie.” A little over 2 years

old, he has yet to speak (I

didn’t talk until I was 4).

Stevie also likes to cuddle

with everyone. Despite hav-

ing his own bed, he can be

found in the beds of his sib-

lings, cousins, aunt and un-

cle or me. I found him re-

cently sleeping with our

chocolate Lab!

Is this something to be

concerned about? Friends

and family say it’s just a

phase, but I’d like to be sure.

What is your take on this?

Concerned

in Michigan

Dear Concerned: I’m

happy your unusual living

situation is working out for

your families, but as the

youngest, Stevie may be ex-

pressing some of the natural

stresses of being at the end

of the cuddle chain.

At only 2 years old, he has

been through a great deal.

He now has a wealth of cud-

dling and sleeping options,

and he is trying them all.

Take your son to his pedi-

atrician for an evaluation.

His lack of language could be

a processing or hearing

problem, or evidence that he

has suffered a loss and is go-

ing through a transition.

I’d let him cuddle with ev-

eryone (as long as he is safe),

but you should give him as

much one-on-one “Daddy

time” as you can.

August 2010

Dear Amy:My daughter,

19, has been dating her

boyfriend for 2^1 ⁄ 2 years. All

four of her siblings dislike

this guy.

He lives with my daugh-

ter in my ex-wife’s house

most of the time. He rarely

contributes to the house-

hold yet often takes advan-

tage of all it has to offer.

He is polite and kind to

her and to her mother — and

to me — but I don’t think he

is a warm, giving person.

He is employed and he

treats my daughter well, but

almost everyone he encoun-

ters does not like him.

I don’t want her to have to

choose between him and me,

yet I feel like I should say

something.

I made a mistake marry-

ing her mother, and I wish

my parents had intervened

when I was her age. Do you

have any advice for me?

Concerned Dad

Dear Dad:If you lay an ul-

timatum at your daughter’s

feet and force her to choose,

she will “choose” him. You

would have done the same at

her age.

I agree that this relation-

ship doesn’t sound ideal, al-

though he treats your

daughter and the rest of the

family well.

You should mentor your

daughter to further her edu-

cation, do good work and as-

pire to great things. You

could tell her, “You’re young

and wonderful. I want you to

live your very best life. I feel

you’re too young to settle

down, and hope you will con-

sider all of your options.”

You could tell her you’ve

learned from your own mis-

takes, but don’t say you re-

gret marrying her mom.

That is a disrespectful mes-

sage to convey regarding the

mother of your children.

July 2010

Send questions to Amy

Dickinson by email to ask

[email protected].

ASK AMY

Is cuddly kid stressed out?